Act Now!

Being a Woman is Not a Pre-Existing Condition

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Fernanda Diaz.

One of the most appalling practices of the health insurance industry is to deny women coverage because of pregnancy, rape, domestic abuse or HIV medication--all of which have been discriminatorily labeled "pre-existing conditions" by some insurers. As the debate heats up over legislation about the "pre-existing condition" clause in many insurance programs, it's crucial to remind Congress that being a woman is not a pre-existing condition.

The story of Christina Turner, uncovered by The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, reflects the staggering injustice that can result from lack of regulation of the grounds on which companies can deny coverage. Turner's tale is not uncommon: she is a rape victim who was given anti-AIDS medicine after her sexual assault and was later denied coverage solely because of this preventative measure--insurers claimed that the HIV medication "raised too many health questions." The company announced it might re-consider if, in three or more years, she could prove that she was AIDS free.

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October 30, 2009

Free Mohammad Othman, Part 2

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Andrea D'Cruz.

Mohammad Othman, the Palestinian Stop the Wall and Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions activist, had his detention extended yesterday by an additional 13 days by an Israeli military court. He has so far been held in solitary containment for 37 days, with no charges or evidence brought against him.

Read this recent post for background on his story.

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October 28, 2009

Playing God with Khristian Oliver

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Andrea D'Cruz.

Ten years ago Khristian Oliver was convicted of murder: during a burglary in March of 1998, Joe Collins, whose house was being robbed, arrived home. As the two burglars attempted to flee, he shot one of them. The other burglar, the then-20 year old Oliver, shot Collins before striking him in the head with a rifle butt, according to testimony at Oliver's April 1999 trial.

After the trial, it emerged that jurors had consulted their bibles during sentencing deliberations -- something that the US Constitution specifically prohibits as "external influence." In a post-trial hearing later in 1999--the year of the sentencing--the judge was told by four jurors that several Bibles had been present in the jury room, that highlighted passages were passed between jurors, and that one read passages to other jurors. But the judge did not allow the defense to ask questions pertaining to the influence of the Bible's presence on the sentencing.

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October 27, 2009

The Showdown in Chicago

By Peter Rothberg

The Showdown in Chicago is on! The ABA's annual convention has become the scene for a series of major protests, which are set to continue through Tuesday, when a major march and rally is planned. Dubbed "the Showdown in Chicago," thousands of Americans are demonstrating against Wall Street banks and calling for real financial reform.

Groups like the National People's Action, the Service Employees International Union, Americans For Financial Reform and the AFL-CIO have turned out thousands of protesters. Sen. Richard Durbin (D - Illinois) addressed the protesters last night. Other conference speakers include Newt Gingrich, conservative columnist George Will and FDIC chairman Sheila Bair.

Read my colleague Esther Kaplan's eyewitness report from the scene of the protests for details on what the protesters are demanding.

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October 26, 2009

Combating Climate Change

By Peter Rothberg

Kudos to 350.org for organizing the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history. You wouldn't know it if you get your news from the New York Times, the Huffington Post or the blogosphere but yesterday there were more than 5,200 rallies and demonstrations in 181 countries making the case that climate change must be addressed immediately and forthrightly.

The number 350 comes from a NASA research team headed by American climate scientist James Hansen, which surveyed both real-time climate observations and emerging paleo-climatic data in January of 2008. They concluded that above 350ppm CO2, the earth's atmosphere couldn't support "a planet similar to the one on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted." Current global CO2 concentration is at 390 parts per million.

"Glaciers and sea ice are melting, drought is spreading, and flooding is on the increase because our planet has reached a proven unsafe level of CO2 emissions," said 350.org founder and writer Bill McKibben in New York City yesterday. "Today's action is an example of the huge worldwide momentum we need to drive political change. Our leaders have heard from major corporations and big polluters for a long time--today, finally, they are hearing from citizens and scientists. And what they are hearing is 350."

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October 25, 2009

A Day of Climate Action

By Peter Rothberg

How to rally a global climate movement? That's the question the heros at 350.org take up in this video highlighting the 4,641 global actions currently planned for tomorrow, Saturday, October 24.

A year ago, NASA's James Hansen and his team produced a landmark series of studies. They showed that if the amount of carbon in the atmosphere tops 350 parts per million, the planet "similar to the one on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted" will be perhaps irreversibly harmed.

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October 23, 2009

Pushing the Public Option

By Peter Rothberg

It never hurts to get a sexy movie star on board. In this amusing new ad created by MoveOn.org, Heather Graham stars as the Public Option, showing how she'll force the lazy, bloated private insurance companies to get back in the game and compete for business. After all, competition is as American as apple pie. Featuring actor Peter Coyote as the narrator.

Call Congress today at 202-224-3121 and demand a public health insurance option.

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October 21, 2009

Repeal the DOMA

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Alana Levinson.

For more than a decade, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed into law by President Bill Clinton, has denied married same-sex couples certain federal rights.

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October 19, 2009

Free Mohammad Othman

By Peter Rothberg

This post was written by Nation intern and freelance writer Andrea D'Cruz.

An international campaign to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammad Othman, a human rights activist from Occupied West Bank, who has been detained without charge by Israel since September 22, is moving into high-gear.

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October 16, 2009

The Freedom Journalism School

By Peter Rothberg

Here's a great new idea worth supporting: The Freedom Journalism School -- a pioneering program to train a network of fifty new media muckrakers across the South.

A new project from the Institute for Southern Studies (ISS), the outfit that publishes Facing South, the South's leading online magazine, and Southern Exposure, an award-winning journal of politics and culture, the idea is to provide training for fifty bloggers and citizen journalists in investigative reporting skills in an effort to give them the tools they need to expose corruption and hold elected leaders accountable.

Most training programs in investigative journalism are geared towards career reporters in established media rather than the bloggers and grassroots news outlets that are increasingly becoming the go-to media source for millions of readers. ISS plans to hold two on-site weekend schools--one in Durham, NC, and another in New Orleans to redress this imbalance. The program will also draw on new technology, hosting a series of webinars on the basics of investigative reporting, as well as practical advice for reporting on complex issues like money in politics, energy companies, government contracts and banking and finance.

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October 13, 2009